AbstractField studies in the Jotunheimen, Rondane and Kebnekaise areas provide evidence that vast permafrost occurrences exist in the high mountain areas of Scandinavia. This is also supported by theoretical conclusions. A threefold vertical subdivision for high altitude permafrost is suggested: continuous, discontinuous and sporadic. The mean annual air temperature is a good indicator for the altitudinal limits of these permafrost belts in non-investigated areas, at least for the more continental mountain regions. Among others, ice-cored moraines and rock glaciers are discussed as typical sites where the occurrence of high altitude permafrost is favoured.